Among other camp notes: http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/news-and-notes-training-camp-edition It looks like that if the guy has the stamina to last 30+ mpg without picking up too many fouls, his contract will be a total steal. Omer Asik is a human monster.
That's exactly what Asik appears to be. He moves laterally as well as any 7 footer I've seen. I don't count Dream as a 7 footer.
So Asik is a "great passer" and we saw that Terrence Jones can handle the ball a bit in SL. I'm really hoping Royce White can get some practice in before pre-season starts so he can find a role here.
A giant with great timing. His ability to throw back shots completely alters the shots of anyone even thinking of coming near the rim. I think Omer actually has the chance to be better than Chandler defensively. The guy has a similar ability to keep his guy in front of him when the offensive player faces him up or he gets switched with a smaller guy on the PnR. But his size and length allows him to also be a great post defender, whereas Chandler can be pushed around by the likes of Howard or Bynum. Omer has a much stronger base.
Watching the scrimmage videos, I think he will really play well with Lin. Lin is good at drawing defenders with dribble penetration. He gets a lot of tough lay-ups that hang on the rim long enough for Asik to follow them up. Chandler had a lot of easy tip-ins last season.
He's not a stiff. He's a legitimate NBA caliber athlete. The fact that he's 7'2" doesn't hurt his case, either.
Here's where people were wrong re: Asik -- the guy is just a great, great athlete. He's not some typical offensive challenged 7 foot stiff. He runs the floor, he scores in the paint with ease because of his size... the guy's a stud.
Well, you figure just about everyone playing in the assoc. is a stud. But within this elite group of a few hundred, there are multiple strata of studliness. In an era of terrible centers, asik should rank in the top half of starting centers this season. Lin and Asik aren't CP3 and Dwight, but you will have above average play at both critical positions. That's why I think this team has the potential to be a .500 team or a bit better this season.
Just looked up some old stuff when he entered the draft Draftexpress.com: 6'11 and 230lbs, nbadraft.net: Strength rating - 6/10, thin by NBA standards and needs to bulk up. To me, Omer seems around 7'1 now, and probably 280lb+ and strong as an ox (CD interview). Definitely a hard worker.
The guy is a stud on defense and a very good rebounder. He won't be scoring outside of put back dunks. He isn't a "great, great athlete" either. I don't know where you are getting the stuff you are saying from, but it's just not reality. He is a really nice player to have, but he won't come close being reliable on offense and he won't be scoring in the paint with ease.
with lin and asik, rockets can definitely have the chance to take the 8th spot. the question is, do they want to.
If you talk about jumping high as athletic, then he isn't. But he's pretty athletic in terms of lateral movement, for someone his size and weight.
He's still raw on offense, but I hope he shapes up well and his effort translates past practice to the real thing. Lol nah, it's gonna take more than that. The conference is tough, and the team is just so young and raw for now. When they get into some close games, it's gonna be tough...still, hoping for the best though!
jump high? dude is 7ft and u cant really tell how high he can just because he doesnt need to. not everyone is like westbrook or jsmith, jump more inches than they needed just for fun